New here

[StoryTeller]

Hi everyone,

I just got my little star by my name, so I can be an official part of this group. I've been sort of lurking around DU for about a year now, but we couldn't afford to donate before now. But I've wanted to be a "Kerrycrat" for awhile-- you all seem like such fun. :)

I'm envious of those of you who got to go to Boston this weekend. I didn't know much...okay, anything...about John Kerry before the 2004 elections. I live in Nebraska and was born and raised republican. I didn't realize I was drifting further and further left until into Bush's first term, when I realized I was growing rather ill every time I saw him on television. :) I've never been very politically aware or active, other than dutifully voting for whoever the conservative voting guides suggested. So I'm one of the ones that really got a huge wake up call over the past five years.

I knew I couldn't vote for Bush ever, ever again, but I knew nothing about Kerry. So my husband and I started researching, and the more we found out, the more impressed we became. He is an amazing person, and I am still incredibly disappointed that we don't have him in the White House.

After the elections, I was looking around the internet for some consolation, and found DU, and then found you all. And you just confirmed a hundred times over what we'd found out about Kerry. I wish we'd been more on the ball and could have done something to help his campaign locally, but there's no use looking back.

Anyway, that's some of my story. I don't know how well I'll fit in here-- I've gotten pretty liberal pretty quick, but I'm also an evangelical Christian (albeit a progressive one) and a homeschooling, stay-at-home mom, and a novelist (right now, of Christian fiction). So I'm a weird mix. But I like you guys, and hope you'll like me too.

I don't get to post as much as I'd like to, because of the homeschooling and writing. DU is my treat to myself when I get tired of writing or editing or supervising my kids. But I'm going to try to be more active as I can.

Thanks for having this group!

[beachmom]

1. Welcome, and you're not the only Stay at home Mom here!

I am, too. Although, I don't think I will be homeschooling simply for sanity sake. As far as being a Christian, the tent is getting bigger in the Dem party and your voice is welcome, especially when it comes to peace and fighting poverty. I think you will fit right in here, as the only requirements to be a member is to love and admire John Kerry! We sometimes disagree here, but we are almost always civil and respectful . . . much like the Senator himself.

Anyway, today is a great day to start posting what with all the Boston excitement! I look forward to reading your future posts.

[StoryTeller]

3. Another SAHM--Cool! :)

Thanks for the welcome, beachmom. With that nickname, I'm assuming you live near a coast? I agree about the homeschooling--it's not conducive to sanity. I'm only doing it because my oldest daughter's learning needs just can't realistically be met in a regular classroom, and I figured since I had one at home, I might as well keep the younger one home, too. But it's honestly not my first preference.

Since you are a SAHM, you might like my novel. It's here, if you'd like info on it. (I hope that's okay--I'm not trying to self-promote, but it is a comedy about life as a SAHM, so I thought you might enjoy it.)

[beachmom]

19. Your book looks very interesting! I am so impressed that in addition

to staying at home and home schooling your kids, you found the time to write a novel! I tell you, the JK forum has got to be one of the best places on the internet, just with all the diverse voices and talents we've got here! I assume you have read some of the, er, poetry here already . . .

[StoryTeller]

23. Oh, yes, LOVE the poetry! :)

As far as being home, homeschooling, and writing--there's a lot around here that simply doesn't get done. My husband helps SO much--without him, we'd not have clean clothes or dishes or a sane mommy. :) But I do most of the homeschooling in the morning, and try to get writing done in the afternoon and sometimes in the evenings. Somehow, it all works, even if my house is pretty much a disaster most days. But we've decided there are more important things in life than a perfectly neat house.

[WildEyedLiberal]

2. Welcome!

You'll fit in fine. John Kerry is an amazing, down to earth, genuine, honest man, and he appeals to ALL kinds of Americans. I personally don't think there is anyone in politics who is a more honest-to-God Christian - as in, adheres to the actual values Christ taught - than he is. (I'm Catholic like JK btw.) So welcome and feel free to jump in and post!

[StoryTeller]

6. Oh my gosh--I got WELcomed! :)

Forgive me for sounding like a groupie, but you are one of my fav Kerrycrats, WEL. Thanks for such a nice welcome. I agree with you about Kerry--he's got more integrity than any other politician (and more than the majority of other people) that I'm familiar with. I really, really respect him and how he has approached his career and life in general.

[WildEyedLiberal]

8. OMG!

I'm seriously blushing here! OMG! I have a fan! :blush:

Aww, now you've gone and embarassed me. :silly: Just kidding. But that's very sweet of you. I think you'll enjoy this group a lot. We LOVE John Kerry, and trust me - he is EVERY BIT as wonderful as you think he is.

[StoryTeller]

10. Yep, you have a fan.

Blushing is good for you, you know. :) I read your posts about the birthday party--I'm so glad you got that experience. You deserve it. Good luck on your finals.

[WildEyedLiberal]

11. Thank you!

:)

[politicasista]

4. Welcome StoryTeller!

It is nice here. :hi:

[blm]

5. Glad you're here. The more patriots in the trenches, the better.

.

[fedupinBushcountry]

7. WELCOME ABOARD !!!

Please post often every voice must be heard.

PS. I was a SAHM for almost 18 years, I think it is a great career.

:patriot:

[StoryTeller]

9. I love your nickname...

As a reluctant resident of "Bush country" myself, I feel your pain. :) My husband is planning to go back to school for a PhD in physics in the next couple of years, and I'm hoping really hard for a New York school or Washington, or someplace like that. I'm begging him "No Texas!!!" :) I really love Nebraska as far as the landscape, and most of the people are really nice. It's just SO conservative, though!

And yes, being a SAHM is a pretty great career. I'm blessed to be able to be home. With my DH going back to school, I may or may not be able to continue staying home, so I'm trying to enjoy it while I can.

[ray of light]

14. Welcome Story Teller.

You may want to save this link:

http://www.progressive-homeschool.blogspot.com/

[StoryTeller]

17. Thanks for the link!

Gorgeous photography on that blog! Wow! I'll have to explore the archives and such over the next few weeks. Thank you so much for sharing it with me. :)

[ProSense]

12. Welcome!

If you want to know more about Kerry, this is the place to be. Your story is quite interesting. Thanks for sharing it.

[StoryTeller]

18. You are welcome!

Thank you for reading it and welcoming me. :)

[ginnyinWI]

21. I know you probably "know" all of us already, but

I'll just say "hi" as another former Republican. But in my defense, I'll say that when I was, I was merely following the family trend. Once I started thinking for myself and questioning, I knew I was a Democrat at heart.

I also got a "sick" feeling at the first sight of *. A gut revulsion when I first saw him during 2000. My gut was right! But I honestly never thought he'd be this bad.

[StoryTeller]

24. Hi GinnyinWI

I think I pretty much followed family trends, too. I was always rather cynical about politics. I've never particularly trusted any politicians so I always felt like I was voting for the least reprehensible of a bunch of slimy options. (Obviously, I was duped, especially in 2000.) I think on the whole that even the ones who go into it with good intentions get corrupted by the power. That sort of power is too seductive. That's why when I started really learning about JK, I was so impressed. He doesn't appear to have been corrupted by it, and that's really amazing.

[ginnyinWI]

27. I know

That's exactly how I feel, too. I have never trusted a politician as I do John Kerry. Because of him, I now believe that there are honest politicians in this world.

[jenndar]

13. Welcome!

I'm pretty new, too. :)

[wisteria]

15. Welcome aboard! Always nice to have new JK supporters checking in. n/t

[sandnsea]

16. Welcome!!

It's an exciting time to come aboard!

[karynnj]

20. Welcome

Homeschooling two kids seems an incredible task. It's awesome that you and your husband were open minded enough to research Kerry's positions and story. Given how much misinformation was out there, it's likely many well meaning people rejected him without even looking.

[StoryTeller]

25. Thanks, Karynnj

Homeschooling is an incredible task. I have such mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it's exciting to get to watch them learn. You miss that when they're at school. But on the other hand, I give up a lot of other things I'd love to be doing or that really need done.

We researched Kerry mainly because we were both new to the whole Democratic party world and we wanted to make sure that we weren't "jumping out of the pot into the fire." But then, especially for me, when we realized what the Democratic party really stands for, and Kerry in particular, we were asking ourselves why we didn't make the switch a long time ago! There is SO much misinformation and stereotyping out there, especially in a conservative area like ours. I think there would be a lot of my republican friends who would actually find they fit better in the Democratic party if they would only take the time to really learn what it stands for and what the pros and cons are about each issue. There's a lot of misunderstanding, and I don't even know how to talk to people about it because the emotions flare as soon as you mention anything, and then nothing is accomplished. I'm not an activist, but if I knew how to get through to people, I certainly would.

[emulatorloo]

22. Hi StoryTeller!

:hi: :kick:

[TayTay]

26. Welcome, welcome!

From snowy old Boston! (Nebraska, wow! I think you are our first poster from Nebraska. This is so exciting.) Thank you for your wonderful post. And please, post away, we hope to be an inclusive and welcoming group that represents, ahm, well when you come right down to it, Americans. (The whle messy lot of us, well, as much as possible.)

This is one of my favorite sites on the web: http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm . I just adore Jim Wallis. We are all trying to learn how to speak about faith and the importance of faith in our lives. (Well, for a lot of us anyway. As you already know, we are a big and diverse group.) The response to Katrina and to the suffering and misery of others in our country due to the policies and downright meanness of the extreme right wingers in power triggers sorrow in a lot of people. They don't recognize their faith and the commandments that order us to love and care for others in the actions of this, so-called, 'faith-based' government. (There are a lot of people around who cringe when the greedy and mean-spirited invoke something as deeply meaningful as faith and religion and The One who spoke of the need to 'Love one another' to justify turning your back on the needy. I wonder if some people know how much that hurts so many people of real faith.)

So welcome to the JK forum! So happy to have you here! :patriot:

[StoryTeller]

30. I LOVE Sojo.net!

Hi TayTay,

I think I found a kindred spirit! :) I just bought Jim Wallis' book, God's Politics, and am working my way through it. I watched some of his lectures on the sojo site and thought they were spot-on. I struggle with the whole faith/politics thing because I don't like to see faith being prostituted like the republicans are doing, and yet it's absurd to try to say that one's faith doesn't affect one's political decisions. So it's hard to know, sometimes, how to allow faith to positively impact culture and government in a way that doesn't become manipulative, oppressive, and downright fake. But there seem to be a lot of people in DU who are managing it, and I've found the majority of folks are quite respectful of people's beliefs. I really appreciate that.

Am I really the lone Nebraskan in this group? Well, I don't know if we're as snowy as Boston, but I bet we can come close. Brrr!!! I am longing to visit Boston sometime. We took a vacation this summer to New York to visit the Rochester area, and even got to go to NYC for a day, (mostly to visit my publisher, but we also managed to squeeze in the Central Park Zoo and a visit to the obscenely over-priced American Girls Shop for my daughters' sakes) but that is the most of New England I've experienced...if NY is considered New England??? Anyway, if my DH gets to go to school somewhere in NY, Boston is on my list of places to see. My oldest daughter has been playing the Liberty Kids software, which teaches about the American Revolution, so if we were to visit Boston, I bet the first thing she'd ask is if we were going to get to see their "tea party." :) She's only in 3rd grade, so she's still getting these history terms sorted out.

[TayTay]

31. Please come to Boston in the Springtime!

I give a 'wicked mean' tour of Boston. (Ahm, depending on how much you like 'old stuff.') Let me know, we can meet up.

You might be the first Nebraskan. (My brain cells are a little fried at the moment from last weekend's activities, I could be wrong.) Welcome. I'm sure we will have lots of opportunities to talk soon about what you wrote. (Boy, do I ever agree. And boy is it ever hard to find 'the line; between faith and politics and where one informs and inspired the other.)

[StoryTeller]

32. Springtime???

I thought it was supposed to be "Boston in the fall" (a la Veggie Tales' Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, if you've had the..."pleasure" of hearing it). :) Sorry, my life tends to revolve around things relating to preschoolers. Shoot! I'll be humming that tune the rest of the evening. :)

And we LOVE old stuff. Our house was built around 1884, which is just about the oldest Omaha still has for houses. I know that's practically brand new to you, but we love it--most of the time. Other days, I wish God would just strike the whole thing with lightening while we're out shopping and be done with it. But He knows I don't really mean it. :)

[ray of light]

37. You're near Omaha?

Omaha is beautiful. I have family out towards Bellvue.

[StoryTeller]

38. Omaha is beautiful...

...with many people who are just as lovely. The city has really made a lot of improvements since my parents moved here in 1975. We have a lot of military families because of Offut/StratCom in Bellevue, and we have a lot of CEOs, and parents in their 40's and 50's who want a family-friendly place for their kids. Unfortunately, it's also a very business-oriented town that tends toward being workaholic and money-driven. I don't like that trend so well at all. There's not as much to do here as there are in bigger cities, but we do have a great zoo and good symphony/opera (when you can afford to buy tickets).

I don't know why I'm writing all this, except that I'll probably end up bitching about how much I want to move somewhere else, and I want everyone to know that it's not so horrible here. But after living here for 30 of my 31 years, I'm about ready for a change. :)

[GRLMGC]

28. Welcome!

Glad to have you :)

[jillan]

29. Welcome Story Teller!

Glad you finally decided to join.

I found DU the same way you did, after the election, after the JK site fizzled out.
It was the best finding a group of people that felt the same way I do about John Kerry-
Yeah!

[BlueIris]

33. Yes, welcome. We're nice folks.

Not like the rest of this crazy board is sometimes.

[seito]

34. Welcome StoryTeller

This is, indeed, a wonderful group. It is a real refuge from the DU storms. I am glad you found it.

[StoryTeller]

35. Thank you--you all are so kind! :) (nt)

[Vektor]

36. Oh! HUGE WELCOME to you! So happy to have you.

Thank you for joining our group. We all love and support the Senator for all the reasons you mentioned. He's wonderful - a true patriot. Having had the pleasure of meeting him this weekend, I can honestly say that he is nicer in person that you could ever imagine. Stick around, and maybe we can all celebrate his birthday again next year and bring a few more along! And as for having him in the White House - we'd like to see that too!
:hi: :hug: